The Serta iComfort mattress ... what's the buzz

[phoenix]

Hi iBuyer,

I just guess I was surprised by the continued negativity towards the new Serta line. Yes, there may just be better and more local. But I usually prefer to read reviews that say something like “While the Serta is a good quality line, you might try XXX or XYZ, which we feel is a better value” Something like that. I can understand fully if a review determines a product just plain sucks. But for us, we don’t see it that way at all. Trust me, we’re in Vermont, where everyone thinks everything made anywhere else sucks

I know there are lots of review sites all over the internet but from the time I started this site I wanted to provide more of an analysis than reviews so that consumers would have a way to measure and compare the quality and value of the materials that are used in mattresses which is really the only way to make meaningful comparisons between mattresses. You can see some of my thoughts about reviews in post #4 here.

I’m not sure if you mean the “continued negativity” about the Serta (and for that matter the other major brands as well) on this site or if you mean on others as well but it is with good reason. they use many low quality materials in their mattresses and then sell them at premium prices that would be typical for much higher quality and more costly materials. Based on meaningful comparisons of the materials in their mattresses … Serta is not a good quality/value line and it would not be helpful for me or in line with the goals of the site for me to say it was when the evidence indicates otherwise. The goal here is to call a spade a spade and not to “give in” to the more generic and rather meaningless descriptions that are so common all over the internet.

Serta certainly hit a home run with their iComfort line in combination with their marketing and being the first to create a buzz and popularize gel foams but that certainly doesn’t mean they are good quality. Even the lowest quality materials in the right layering can be very comfortable in the managed environment of a showroom. The problem is that low quality foams don’t stay that way for very long.

Quality in a mattress is definable and quantifiable and for me to provide the same generic and “no offense” descriptions that so many other sites do would make this site redundant very quickly. The goal here is to provide more meaningful information that is more relevant and factual for those who want a more accurate way to “measure” quality and value than the marketing information and opinions that are meant more to “convince” and sell mattresses more than educate and inform .

Would you buy a piece of furniture that you knew had nice veneer over low quality particle board if its price was the same or more than a similar piece that was made of good quality real wood throughout if they both had similar functions and performance ? Would you call it good quality or value at that price?

Phoenix